Ready or not, they also run

The wives of US presidential hopefuls have been fixtures on the campaign trail since Martha pitched up beside George at a small support gathering at Mt. Vernon in late 1787.

But as the role of women in society has changed, so too has the role of the candidate's wife. Today, political spouses typically take on more central roles, serving as advisers and activists behind the scenes, as well as fundraisers and surrogates in the public arena.

More and more spouses - including some in the current group - keep their own names and careers, and take up their own pet causes. All of which has the political consultants feeling a little jittery.

"As a political consultant, you worry. You have to make sure the wife stays on message and knows what to say or not to say. You can't have her speaking out against the war in Iraq, for example, when her husband is for it," says Dennis Johnson, associate dean of George Washington University's graduate school of political management.

"And of course they are told what to wear," he says. "You don't want the focus to be 'Boy, his wife has crazy outfits.' "

"Any smart consultant would try to capitalize on the spouse's ability - in telling stories and anecdotes - to convey an image of the candidate as a human being, not a policy wonk," says Trooper Sanders, a policy adviser to presidential candidate Al Gore's wife, Tipper, in 2000.

The pitfall, he warns, is when consultants try to manufacture "the right" candidate spouse, instead of trying to build on her own strengths.

But the building process is a unique one for each potential first lady. "There is no job description for this position," says Verveer, Mrs. Clinton's former chief of staff. "Each woman brings her own experiences, professional expertise, and understanding of the role with her."

Clinton, one of the most active and outspoken (as well as most polarizing) political spouses in recent history, certainly had views about her participation in the political process, says Ms. Verveer. "But she always said no one should be expected to do the same afterwards."

Tipper Gore proved problematic for advisers in a different fashion. During the 2000 elections, consultants tried to get her to "tone down" - to no avail. Mrs. Gore's natural instinct was to "talk about how sexy Al was, and they tried to modify that message," says Ms. Sobieraj. "But in the end they let her loose. She was practically making out with the candidate at the convention."

This time around, Judy Steinberg, wife of former Vermont governor and Democratic forerunner Howard Dean, is a very different sort of spouse. A doctor, she remains focused on her practice - and neither campaigns nor travels with her husband. The couple, by their own admission, seldom even talk politics, and she does not watch the televised debates because they don't have cable at home.

In fact, if Dean reaches the White House, his wife has said she intends to keep her practice.

"It's never been done," Dean acknowledged in an interview with the Associated Press. "But I think she would be a real role model for America - a woman who doesn't depend on her husband's career, and that's the majority of women these days."

Dean, on this argument, gets some backup from an unlikely quarter.

"And why should Mrs. Dean's plans be a problem?" snaps Anna Perez, former press secretary to first lady Barbara Bush. "Each of these individual spouses, and God willing we will be talking about men soon too, should have the right and ability to decide the role they want to play."

What Mrs. Dean decides, stresses Ms. Perez, "is up to her. No Monday-morning-football quarterbacks should have a say."

Read it and weep, political consultants.

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